Method of manipulating metal articles.



R. B. & H. S. THOMAS & W. R. DAVIES. METHOD OF MANIPULATING METALARTlCLES.-- LICATION FILED MAR. 7, I916- j Patented Dec. 5,1916.

RICHARD BEAUMONT THOMAS, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, AND HUBER/T SPEN CE THOMAS,OF LLANDAFF, AND WILLIAM ROBERT DAVIES, OF WHITCI-IURCH, WALLIES.

METHOD OF MANIPULATING METAL ARTICLES.

redness.

' I Specification of Letters Eatent.

. Patented Dec. 5, 1916..

Original application filed June 20,1914, Serial No. 846,305. Divided andthis application filed March 7,

4 1916.. .Serial No. 8.53554.

'Tl-lO1\[.-\S,I1UBERT SPENCE THOMAS, and VVIL- LIAM. Romain. Davinssubjects of the King of Great Britain, residing, respectively, at

-No. 39 Hyde Park Gate, London, Eng

land; Hazelwood, Cardiff Road,Llandaif,

' county of Glamorgan, Wales, and Forest- Lynf Heoldon, i v hitchurch,county of Glamorgan, Vales, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Methods of lvlanip'ulatiliig Metal Articles, of Whichthe following is a specification.

This inventi'c-In is a division of that disclosedin our applicationfiled June 20, 191st, Serial Number 846305, and is an improved method ofmanipulating metallic plates, sheets, bars and the like, primarily toefi'ect their withdrawal one by one from a stack or pile. for suchpurposes as turning, exam- 'ining, asserting, and feeding them.

Our improved method comprises the elimination or partial elimination ofsuction between the stacked articles, by separating or tending toseparate them throughthe action of a blast against the edge or edges ofthe stack or the interposition. of a material, such as sand, between thearticles, and picking them up singly by suction through appliancesadapted for handling the plates.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, Figure 1represents in side elevation an appliance or machine for feedingmetallic plates or sheets to tinning machines. Fig. 2 is a plan of thesame showing a series of three of the sheet feed ing appliances. 3represents in elevation drawn. to a larger scale a modified sucker andparts adjacent thereto.

The same letters of reference indicate the ,same parts in the severalfigures of the drawing.

a is a hollow conical cup preferably of india rubber constituting thesucker proper the said sucker a being carried by a pin 7) occupying aneye at the end of the long :m of the lever c a coiled spr ng at beingarranged between the sucker and the end of tion through abbiit'l80-degrees. The long.

series of lazy disk rolls the axes of which are supported by inclinedbars 6 the inclination of the bars being seen in Fig. 1. As soon as thesucker 18 released from the plate .or sheet by the continued motion ofthe chute to the rolls or other appliances by sucker and the plate orsheet is instantly relevers between and below the bars 6 ii-lie; plateor sheet-travels down the chute and falls on to the preferably somewhatlower inclined chute e which has the fornrhf a counterbalanced leverwith adjustable weights 0.

The chute e is pivoted on knife edge supports f (or their equivalents)and the counterbalanced weights c are adjusted so that should more thana single plate be received on them simultaneously the chute 0 will turnon its pivot and pass the said two or more plates or sheets under thetable of the machine. If a single plate only is received by the chute eit passes down the which it is to be received. The oscillation of theshaft 0 through the desired angle may be eflected in various ways. Inthe drawing we have shown the said shaft operated by spur wheel gearing,0 being a pinion on the shaft 0 in gear with a spurwheel g on a spindle9 arranged parallel with the sa d shaft. The spur wheel 9 re ceiwes itsbackward and forward turning motion from the pulley driven, or otherwisedriven, shaft it through the crank 71 and connecting rod in the saidconnecting rod lchaving a 'n'eferably adjustable connection with thelever arm 9 carried by! the spur wheel g or its spindle g. 1

4 If thought necessary or desirable the sucker a may be carried belowthe chute e '1md@l 'water so as to wet the sucker previous to the nextoperation; and the sucker may be provided as heretofore with a valve (0as is represented in Fig. 3, the axial rod a of which is kept down onits seat by the coiled A trip lever 'mis provided to spring a efl'ectthe lifting of the valve a off its seat when. the plate or sheet reachesthe chute e the trip lever being actuated automatically byprojectionsarranged in its path. On the lifting of the valve air is admitted to theleased. If desired wemay obtain a vacuum or partial vacuum in thesucker, by the action of a pump.

VVewish it to be' understood'that we do not limit ourselves to theprecise construction and arrangement of parts hereinbefore described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings as the operating mechanism maybe varied Within considerable limits without departing from the natureof our invention.

sequence.

2. The method of manipulating metal sheets which consists instacking'said sheets in separated relation so as to permit the entranceof air between them and moving said stacked plates in sequence by theapplication of suction to exposed faces thereof.

3. The method of manipulating metal sheets which consists in stackingsaid sheets with sand between them so as to prevent suction betweenadjacent sheets and moving said sheets in sequence by the application ofsuction to the exposed surfaces of the outer sheets.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of twosubscribing witnesses. I

RICHARD BEAUMONT THOMAS. HUBERT SPENCE THOMAS.

WILLIAM ROBERT DAVIES. \Vitnesses ALBERT EDWARD KING,

lorry A TJA'IHROP.

